Why Borgu youth protect Kainji power facilities, monitor projects

In Borgu Kingdom where the first hydropower plant is situated along the Kainji Dam in Niger State, the youth said they are helping to protect power facilities and monitor community development projects.

President of the Federation of Borgu Youth (FEBY), Comrade Sadiq Abubakar told our reporter recently in New Bussa about these efforts and how they support investors in the Kingdom.

The Kainji dam supplies about 476 megawatts (mw) of electricity along the River Niger and cascade to the Jebba Hydroelectric power station where over 500mw electricity is also produced. Thus, a disruption in the upstream Kainji could disrupt operation at Jebba and induce power outage in Nigeria.

Speaking about the community relations of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited (MESL), the operators of both plants, Abubakar said the firm has contributed to community development in the four years of its existence much more than the defunct PHCN has done.

He said the firm is training two youth from the kingdom annually in the graduate engineering programme of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN). “The first two they trained were engaged, the other two are doing the programme and two others are starting soon.

Beside this, we are building a Borgu Multipurpose Town-hall solely by the youth and Mainstream is supporting us in it as we are now at the roofing stage,” the president noted.

The youth have taken it as their responsibilities to protect the facilities of the power firm in the kingdom. Abubakar said: “We told Mainstream that the Kainji dam site is not just their responsibility to safeguard but also for youth as they are also our properties. If there is any problem at the communities near the dam site, we intervene immediately and ensure they are resolved.

“We are also ensuring we monitor the contractors that are given some community projects by the company to execute to deliver the best. They include renovated clinic in Shagunu, rehabilitated 101 metre steel bridge in Awuru, medical outreaches, Wawa road rehabilitation among others within the Borgu Kingdom,” he explained.